Dragontamers
by Yomico
Summary: Lucy is wanted as a sacrifice by the cult that had dubbed her their Goddess. So, of course, she just had to join the Magnolia School for Dragontaming, better known as Fairy High. Some new friends and one very possessive dragon later, can Lucy finally say that she's safe? (NaLu, GaLe, Miraxus, Gruvia, Rowen, and other pairings) *ON HOLD*
1. Chapter 1

My day was bordering on mind-numbingly dull when the whole world decided it was high time the straight road that was my life took a sharp turn. A very sharp turn, mind you. Over ninety degrees of a turn. After following through on that turn, I managed to end up running for my life. It wasn't an entirely new experience, considering I had been doing similar feats for the past month, but this particular escape had that little something to it that made it different from the rest.

I reached out to hook my fingers on the corner of the building and swung around into the alley at full speed. Behind me, I knew, cloaked figures were in pursuit, all chanting the same thing. It creeped me out to no end. First they seize my private school, then they attack me at my father's mansion, and now they've managed to find me in Bosco. I did everything - new wig, new clothes, heavy makeup, tons upon tons of perfume - and they still found me. Relentless bastards.

Another corner, and another, and another. I lost track of how many edges I held onto so I could swing around the buildings. They began to blur, each no different from the rest. My breathing was reduced to sharp gasps. I couldn't call on my spirits. My magic was still dangerously low from the mini war I had fought at the hotel. Two more corners and I was ready to dive into a trash bin and wait the cultists out. But I knew that, in the end, they'd still find me.

"Capture the Goddess!" A high-pitched voice with a distinct crackle echoed through the narrow lane and reached my ears over the pounding of my feet. Oh, gods. It was the woman again. No wonder they found me so fast - that bitch seemed to have a mental tracker on me. She would stalk me to the ends of the world, and she would be damn good at it.

"The Goddess! The Goddess!" More voices, a chaotic blend of male and female, answered the woman's call and I pushed my legs to move faster. Of all the people on this planet, I was the one they dubbed their 'Goddess'. Just my luck, no?

The cult of the Dying Sun worshipped the infamous black wizard Zeref with body, mind, and soul. In other words, their world revolved solely around him. That would've been fine with me - people can believe what they want to believe in - but the other part of their entire little setup included defying all laws of magic and life in general to resurrect the dark wizard. Their instruction manual apparently said something along the lines of, "Find a poor, innocent Lucy and kill her! That'll bring Zeref back to life!" Otherwise, why would they be chasing me? I'm sure that somewhere within their ranks there's another fair-skinned blonde girl who would be honored to offer her life for Zeref. It's a cruel thought, but I wasn't exactly caring at that point.

I skidded around another corner, this time ending up on my ass and staring up at another group of cloaked people. One sharp twist confirmed the fact that I was surrounded. The woman led her followers closer with a dramatic walk that was supposed to be intimidatingly slow and failed miserably. It looked hesitant instead.

"Lucy Heartfilia." The woman rasped out, her bony fingers adjusting her hood. "Our Goddess, you have been chosen."

"Is this supposed to be an honor?" I spat. Knowing that I was virtually helpless did nothing to lessen my attitude.

"Your father was willingly given us his blessing." She kept going, ignoring my little outbursts.

"You held a sword to his throat. I wouldn't call that willing."

"Our Master had spoken." "That's just wonderful. Tell him I'm very proud of him."

"You are the chosen sacrifice, the Goddess whose death will revive the legendary Lord Zeref with fallen light."

"I'm terribly excited. Dying at eighteen was the first thing on my bucket list."

"Your willing consent would be appreciated, but is not necessary."

"Then what's the point?" I was being plain sarcastic. "You're going to be a bitch regardless of what I do."

"The Goddess has agreed to fulfill her duties." The woman rasped. I jerked around to fully face her, my eyes wide in disbelief.

"When did I agree to anything?!" I was nearing a shout, climbing to my feet and dusting off my shorts. "You razed my school, threatened my father, and chased me around the country. When did I ever say that I agreed?!"

"As I have said before, your consent is desired but unnecessary." The woman kept acting like nothing had happened. It was beyond annoying.

"Aha. So, you admit that I didn't agree." A smirk slid onto my face. I pulled on the handle of my whip and it came away easily, uncoiling into a long black tendril. Three expert swings and the way was partially cleared. I tapped into the last of my magic to summon Taurus.

"Miss Luucy, I will defend your nice body!" said Taurus the perverted bull. My smirk molded into a wobbly smile and hearts erupted in his eyes.

"Just go get them, Taurus." I indicated the figures, my finger directed at the woman. A small puff of a breath left the bull-man's nose and he charged at the figures, the little black shapes scattering under his attack.

"Go, Miss Luucy!" He mooed while sweeping his axe in a winging arc. I nodded and took off, my magic barely enough to keep Taurus' gate open. I hated leaving my spirits to fight my battles for me, but it would've been suicide to stay. A running Lucy is better than a dead Lucy, according to Loke.

I darted into the train station and nearly crashed into the ticket counter. The clerk, a skinny man who could've been in his forties, eyed me warily and wasted no time in handing over a ticket. I weaved through the crowds and barely made it onto the train, slipping into a blissfully empty compartment and slamming the door behind me before promptly collapsing onto a bench. A warm glow coming from Taurus' key told me that he had returned to the Celestial Spirit Realm, hopefully uninjured.

I ran my hands through my fake hair and scanned the ticket. The piece of paper told me I was going to Hargeon. When the ticket inspector passed by, I ignored his curious stare and handed over the ticket. Two holes were punched and the ticket was back in my hands. I stuffed in into my back pocket and closed my eyes, vying for at least four hours of sleep. Right before I drifted off, too exhausted to be uncomfortable, the speakers crisply announced that we would arrive in Hargeon at ten in the evening. Six hours of solitude and sleep. Perfect.


	2. Chapter 2

A rough shaking forced me to wake up. I was not happy about it.

"Wha-" I began hotly, only to have my anger sizzle out as I met the worried gaze of the ticket inspector.

"We have arrived in Hargeon, miss." He explained. I looked out the widow to see a small town dwarfed by an endless expanse of sea.

"Oh, sorry." I stood and offered a small smile.

"It's nothing, miss. Have a good day." He stepped aside, allowing me to brush past him and out into the corridor. The moment my feet touched the platform of the train station, I spotted a bathroom and made my way over. Slipping into a stall, I pulled off the black wig and stuffed it into a trashcan, taking care to make sure none of my real hair was caught on the underside. I plucked off the fake eyelashes and pulled out my last makeup wipes from my shoulder bag, cleaning away any traces of the goth girl I had pretended to be for the past week. The dirty tissues followed the wig, tossed shamelessly into the trash bin, and I rinsed my face to wash off the feeling of makeup remover. A quick brush dealt with major tangles and I examined my appearance. Something seemed off. Blonde hair, check. No makeup, check. Brown eyes, no check. I groaned in frustration and discarded the green contact lenses. _Now_ I was done. Finally.

I caught one of the last station managers and interrogated him for hotels. He greatly recommended a place called Hanure Inn, endless compliments about staff and service gushing out of his mouth. I quickly thanked him to cut off his recital of positive reviews and ran in the direction he had indicated. The streets were mostly empty, but it was nearing the eleventh hour. People with common sense and no threats to their general well-being, unlike me, were all asleep by now.

My arrival at the inn caused little disturbance. The woman at the front desk was pissed, understandably, but she gave me a decent room for fifteen thousand Jewels. I made my way up three flights of stairs and unlocked a plain wood door with a large brass '32' hanging at eye level. The room was small and cozy. A single bed was pushed up against the right wall with a single nightstand framing it from the other side. A slim dresser stood opposite with an adjoining desk. A small shelf with books hung on the far wall and a thin, round beige carpet covered the floor. Two plush armchairs prevented me from making a straight beeline for my bed. I dropped my bag on the closest one and crawled under the covers, falling asleep in seconds.

The sun was, as of that moment, my greatest enemy. It made its way through my closed eyelids and interrupted the absolute blackness of sleep with yellow light. Coming to terms with the idea that I wouldn't be able to fall asleep again took at least five minutes, and actually getting myself to sit up and open my eyes took another ten.

I trudged into the adjoining bathroom, fumbling with the taps to get the bath to fill up. While the water spilled into the tub, I peeled off my ruined clothes and made a feeble attempt to deal with the rat's nest that was my hair. Giving up the moment the water had reached a satisfactory level, I enjoyed the hot water treatment immensely. As the dirt from the past two something days washed away, I pulled out the conditioner and tackled the knots one by one.

Stepping into the room wearing nothing but a debatably fluffy towel, I unfolded my last set of decent clothing. A simple white shirt with a v-neck fell to the floor while a pair of light blue capris stayed in my hands. I put both on and began a hunt for socks, which ended on a successful note. To finish off my getting-ready routine, I got my socks wet by stepping into a puddle in the bathroom when I went to brush my teeth and stuck my now bare feet into a pair of well-worn sneakers. I left no trace of my presence in the hotel room, taking everything I had brought with me. I checked to make sure that my keys were fastened next to my whip and locked the door, hiding the key within one of the many pockets of my bag.

First stop: supply shopping. I found a consignment store and wasted no time in buying two new shirts, one burgundy and the other white with pink and pale orange stripes, and a new pair of shorts. Then I proceeded to raid a pharmacy for makeup wipes and basic toiletries. Satisfied with my little survival collection, I decided to do a bit of wandering until I found something that struck my fancy. That something turned out to be a corner coffee shop that had an ample amount of books.

I ordered a croissant sandwich and iced tea. Both were delivered with speed and precision, and within minutes I was enjoying a decent meal in a plushy armchair, a book about elves in my hands.

"No. Freaking. Way." Someone's voice rang out very close to my shoulder. "You read that series too?"

My neck made a disturbing crunching sound as I whipped my head around to stare at the newest arrival. I was greeted by sparkling hazel eyes and a mass of wavy blue hair bound with an orange headband.

"Yeah. It's one of my long-time favorites." I replied easily, pushing away my shock and twisting in my chair to face the girl.

"Yes! I swear, I can't find _anyone_ who even _knows_ about the series!" She trampled on my attempts to be polite by going around and plopping down in the opposite chair, forcing me to twist back.

"I know, right? Last week I asked the librarian about it and she looked at me like I was nuts." I joined her discrimination against those who didn't know about the series. She snapped her fingers.

"Can you be my partner for my literature project?" She popped the question like it was nothing.

"What kind of project?"

"We were all assigned a summer project, and we have to complete it with a partner. I chose the literature one, and it turned out that I had to read the Elven Queen series and find another person who had already read it. Then we have to create a poster than analyzes the book." She sighed. "You're the first person I've met all summer long who had actually read the damn book, and the project is due in three days."

"What school do you go to?" My curiosity was launching through the ceiling.

"Magnolia School for Dragontaming, but we all call it Fairy High. What about you?"

I nearly choked on my tea. Magnolia School for Dragontaming was very famous for its dual program and the high testing scores. My father didn't let me go only because the school greatly encouraged dragontaming for wizards, and his only daughter running off on a dragon was something he could not allow.

Dragons weren't the most common of creatures, yet they were far from rare. They could take on a human form, but the amount of time they could hold that form was limited by their power. Anyone who could use magic had a chance of becoming a dragontamer, meaning they could learn how to work with a dragon. Unfortunately, most schools that offered dragontaming programs could only boast about long lists of injured mages and failed partnerships. Magnolia School for Dragontaming was an exception: there were only five recorded major injuries as a direct result of contact with dragons, none of which were even near fatal, and they could proudly say that ninety-nine percent of their partnerships were successful.

"Um… nowhere, not yet anyways." I covered up my moment's pause with a long sip.

"Why don't you join me in Fairy High, then?" The girl leaned forward, her eyes alive with excitement.

"Isn't it a bit late for enrollment?" I asked pointedly, even though the idea sounded great.

"Gihi. Master will definitely let you sign up, bunny girl." I jumped slightly at the new voice, which was once again behind me. Fortunately, the newcomer came around and stood behind the blue-haired girl, a teasing smirk on his face. Long black hair fell in an unruly mane down his back and his eyebrows, consisting solely of metal studs, sat above red eyes. More studs lined up on his crossed forearms, cut off by black biker gloves. His entire outfit matched his gloves in various shades of blacks and greys.

"Bunny girl?" The blunette looked up at the man. "Honestly, what is it with you and ridiculous nicknames?"

"Be quiet, shrimp. Don't criticize my awesome nicknames." The man ruffled her hair.

"Oh! Sorry." The blunette caught me staring and a tiny blush crept onto her cheeks. "I never introduced myself, did I? I'm Levy, and smirky here is Gajeel. He's my dragon partner."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Lucy." I grinned aand Levy smiled back. I raised an eyebrow at Gajeel. "What do you mean, he'll definitely accept me?"

"You have… what's it called?" Gajeel looked at Levy, but she only smirked. "Oh, yeah. You've got potential, bunny girl."

"Doesn't everyone?" I drawled.

"Nah. The partnering don't work if the dragon doesn't fit with the mage. That's why Fairy High is better than the rest. Master doesn't force partnerships that won't work. The dragon seals the deal. We've got a sense for these things, unlike humans." Gajeel explained. I blinked twice before nodding. Well, glad we got that cleared up.

"So, you'll come?" Levy played with the hem of her dress. I felt a frown coming on and did my best to force it down.

"Maybe. Let me sleep on it, okay?" I had a lot of things to consider, namely the cult of the Dying Sun that stuck to me like flies.

"Oh, okay. We'll meet you here tomorrow to work on the project and you can tell us then." Levy shot a quick glance at Gajeel, who had already lost interest in our conversation. "Or at least I will."

"Sounds great." I stood. "See you tomorrow around the same time?" "Sure."

"Great. Bye!" I pushed through the door with a wave. Levy waved back and aimed a punch at Gajeel, who caught it with ease and a smirk.

I headed towards the beach, stopping every few minutes to ask for directions. Hargeon was far from the easiest town to navigate. At any rate, I managed to get lost more than once. It took me at least an hour to make it to the beach boardwalk, and another ten minutes to find a way to get down to the sand. By then I was tired, sore, and pissed.

Accepting Levy's offer would be one of the best things that could happen to me. I would get a good finish to my regular education as well as have a chance to round out my magical abilities. I might even get the chance to become a dragontamer. However, I had to consider the cult. They had, so far, managed to successfully corner me in five different cities. Each encounter had caused panic and minor injuries among the people that happened to be in the way. But the people at Fairy High were mostly wizards. Surely, they would be able to defend themselves at least somewhat. Besides, I told myself, if the cultist did show up, I could just pack my bags and scram. Shouldn't be too hard. A new disguise, a new town, a new name and the cycle would continue. Also, Fairy High was surrounded by the dragons' forest. The dragontamer partnerships would be able to defend the school and maybe, just maybe, I wouldn't have to run away again.


	3. Chapter 3

I took up the same seat in the coffee shop and kicked off my shoes, curling my legs under me to snuggle into the seat. The Elven Queen series finale was in my hands and my eyes were far too busy reading to notice Levy's arrival.

"Lu!" I looked up to see her waving from a corner booth, a roll of white poster paper on the table and a large pouch holding it down. Gathering my stuff, I made my way over with minimal apologies and plopped down next to her.

"Hey." I returned her greeting with a smile. Levy unrolled the paper and opened the pouch to reveal a very large amount of markers. We dove into our work, analyzing the series down to its skeleton. Pages were flipped and reflipped, drawings were sketched and erased, heated debates were held. Neither of us noticed a good seven hours fly by until we beheld a finished product. The poster was everything a good poster should be - minimal words, colorful, easy to follow and read. Levy turned out to be an amazing analyst, and the way she read into the book was far beyond my capabilities. I helped her clean the sentences down to the bones and we both worked on decorating. Once we were both satisfied, Levy treated me to a steamy mocha with whipped cream. Both of us curled up on armchairs and massaged our sore hands.

"So, Lu, what did you decide?" Levy brought around the topic I dreaded with a small sip of her drink.

"I want to go, but there's a problem." I hesitated on the last part, unsure whether I should mention my relationship with the cult.

"What?" Levy twirled her cup.

"I'm kinda sorta being hunted by a Zeref cult." I lay it bare, holding nothing back. To my surprise and great relief, Levy took it in stride.

"Do you know why?"

"Of course, captain detective. No idea." I drawled, sarcasm coming back in full force. Levy rolled her eyes.

"Well, then you should definitely come to Fairy High. Everybody can help protect you." She said it in a matter-of-a-fact way, no bluster.

"Okay then. I'll come." I didn't know I could be swayed so easily, but apparently I could.

"Great!" Levy cheered. I was half expecting her to burst into cartwheels of happiness. "You can ride with me tomorrow. Gajeel's already gone back, so we'll take the train. Is that okay with you?"

"Yeah, it's fine. What's it like at Fairy High?" I couldn't help it. The best dragontaming school in the country and I had to know what it was like.

"Pretty cool. It's just like your regular school, but we all stay in dorms for the full year. You could say we're one big family." A soft smile formed on her face. "Dragons are part of our everyday lives too. We always have dragontaming sessions in the morning and then regular classes after. The curriculum is pretty tough, but it's manageable. Even slackers like Gray manage to pass with good grades." She paused at my confused expression. "You'll probably meet him in your dragontaming class. He hasn't exactly been able to level up because his dragon is a bit obsessive. He still can't convince her to do anything without him. It's hilarious to watch, because she acts like he's her god or something. It's always about dear Gray or beloved Gray or something like that."

A smile curved my lips upwards as I pictured the poor boy and his obsessive dragon. Levy kept going, telling stories about scary scarlet-haired monster ladies and white-haired matchmaking demons that led the dragontamers' first forest tour. She told me about her experiences and I told her bits and pieces about mine. The longer we talked, the more convinced I became that Fairy High would be a great place to stay, at least for some time.

In the morning I felt better and lighter than I had in weeks. It was a decidedly strange feeling, and I immediately attributed it to the knowledge that I was going somewhere where I could actually be safe. I went through my bath routine, this time without soaking my socks into oblivion, and checked out. Once again, the woman at the front desk was less than thrilled to see me. That may or may not have been due to the fact that she was having a coffee break. I found Levy arguing about her age with a stall manager from the Hargeon market.

"… and I'm telling you, I'm not twelve years old!" Levy's voice was indignantly pissed, her cheeks were flushed, and her bandana had fallen down to her neck.

"Sir, she's with me, and I can assure you that she's eighteen." I decided to jump in before the man could say something he would truly regret. Levy looked seconds away from breaking out whatever magic she used, and I was fairly certain that the manager had no means of defense.

"Of course, miss. My apologies." He gave me a quick nod and I responded with a smile before dragging Levy away.

"Lu! How could you side with that jerk!?" Levy yanked her hand away and furiously adjusted her bandana. I had to stifle a giggle.

"I didn't side with him. I told him what he wanted to hear before making the point of you being eighteen and not twelve." I calmly replied. Levy blinked once, blinked twice, and grinned. It was like she had a violence switch that had just been flipped off. Her change of mood was sudden and unexpected.

"Okay! Let's go, or we'll miss the train and it'll be your fault!" Levy took off at a run that I matched with ease the moment I actually caught up on what was going on. Running for my life had proven to be good for cardiovascular endurance.

"How, exactly, will it be my fault? We agreed that we'd meet at the edge of the market and instead I find you bickering about how old you are." I pointed out, my breath coming in small puffs as I tried to multitask at a near-sprint. Levy rolled her eyes.

"Cause if it's my fault, Gajeel's never going to let me live it down." She shot back and increased her pace even more. Damn, Fairy High must have a good physical education program. I could keep up only because of this little thing called survival, and if I hadn't had a cult on my ass I would've been left in the dust long ago.

"Aha." I liked that word. It was nice and simple.

"I'm actually kind of surprised you kept up with me." Levy ran up the steps to the station platform and slowed to a walk. It was my turn to roll my eyes.

"I've been busy surviving lately." I drawled. She laughed and led the way to a ticket counter, where we both bought passes for the Magnolia-bound train. Settling into an empty compartment, we dropped our bags and settled on opposite sides of the window. The inspector came by and we had our little pieces of paper hole-punched for us. The compartment jolted into action and little wheels moved forward, pushing us away from Hargeon. Levy and I settled into a comfortable silence, both watching the town, and then hills and forests, pass by our window in a flash of colors. I decided to break the quiet with a question that had begun to bug me since we boarded the train.

"Hey, Levy?"

"Hm?" Her hazel gaze switched from the window to me.

"Is there a test I have to take to get into the school?" I asked, suddenly feeling nervous. Any school I'd ever gone to required formal exams and certificates and whatnot to be admitted, but I had no idea what Fairy High would want from me.

"It depends on what program you want to take. Both are free and both include meals, but the dragontamer program is a bit different. If you go with the regular program, you don't need to take any tests - just come in and sign up. For housing, you have to pay a regular rent once a month. It's usually around eighty thousand Jewels, but it's only for seventeen and over." She paused and I nodded to show I was following. "If you choose the dragontamer program, which you should, then the Master will take you into the dragons' forest to see if a dragon takes interest in you. The final say on partnerships is up to the dragons, and you have a week to see if you're picked by a dragon. If you aren't picked, you move to the regular program. If you pass the initiation, then you get free housing until you complete your first job with your dragon. Then you have to pay rent based on where you choose to stay. I'm paying seventy thousand a month right now. You'll probably be able to move into the room next to mine - the person before you graduated last year."

"Huh. That's so…" I searched for the right word and didn't find it.

"Overwhelming?" Levy offered. I shook my head and finally found the word I wanted.

"No, different. The schools I used to go to all required exams to be admitted, and the tuition fees were huge." I leaned my head against the window, which turned out to be a mistake. The shaking of the train tried its very best to knock out my teeth until I removed my head from the glass.

"I don't know how it works, but, if I'm being perfectly honest, the dragontamer partners could keep the school running on their own. We aren't exactly low on money, especially the stronger pairs." Levy made the same mistake as I had, and her head didn't last much longer than mine. I yawned and stretched out on the bench. Even though I hadn't done any heavy lifting in the past few days, being on a train still made me sleepy. I stretched out on the bench and pulled out the Elven Queen finale, determined to finish the last couple hundred pages. Levy followed my lead and pulled out her own books, curling into the corner of her seat and covering her legs with a jacket. The rest of the ride passed in the same comfortable silence.


	4. Chapter 4

Hours later, I woke up to a crackling speaker, a numb hand, an unmoving train, and a book on my face. The moment I shifted the book slid off, leaving a thin paper cut on my jaw and clattering to the floor in a rustling mess of papers. I groaned as the cut began to sting and glanced at Levy, who was still asleep in what looked to be a very uncomfortable position.

"Levy! Wake up!" I stretched out my sleeping leg to give her a sharp prod. She mumbled something unintelligible and cracked open her eyes. The moment she saw her books scattered on the floor and bench around her, her eyes shot wide open and she shot out from under her blanket.

"Oh my god, my books, my poor books!" Levy quickly picked up the books and closed them properly, spotting any creases on the pages and immediately smoothing them out with a frown. It took her less than five minutes to get all seven of her books back in tip-top shape and packet away. I couldn't decide if I should be worried for her mental health or if I should laugh. I chose neither and instead opted to pick up my own belongings.

"So, you excited for Fairy High?" Levy moved to the door, sliding it into the wall and stepping out into the corridor with a glance over her shoulder. I was still slightly worried for her mental health, but she seemed fine, so I let it go.

"Yeah!" I cheered. I couldn't help it, in all honesty. Levy laughed at my enthusiasm and I followed her out to the platform with a large grin on my face. In was barely past noon, and if Levy was right, I might even get the initiation test started today. She led the way to a carriage and told the driver to take us to Fairy Hills. He nodded, no confusion whatsoever, while I frowned.

"Fairy Hills is the entrance office. You'll register there, and also choose which course you want to take." Levy explained, seeing my lack of understanding. I nodded. Fairy High was taking on a more complex look. The ride lasted no longer than twenty minutes, and I found myself staring up at a large square building with a gate running through the center. As I watched, the gate slid open and a golden dragon prowled through, his massive body barely fitting into the opening. A white-haired girl walked next to him and waved when she saw us. Levy waved back and we ran over to them.

"Hey Levy! I haven't seen you in a while!" The white-haired girl smiled sweetly.

"It's been ages, Mira! This is Lucy, and she's thinking of joining." Levy made for hasty introductions, while Mira wasn't so quick.

"Nice to meet you, Lucy. The full name's Mirajane, but call me Mira. This," she added, pointing up at the glowering dragon, "is Laxus, my partner."

I stared up at the golden dragon, taking in his powerful body, his folded wings, his incredibly long talons, his forest of pointy teeth, and the lightning shaped scar across his eye. In the middle of our staring contest, Laxus decided to change forms and molded into a human with a soft flash of yellow light. His human form was blonde, like his scales, and retained the well-defined muscles I could see on the dragon. The scar was still there, and a new black tattoo was printed on his bare chest. He took a deep breath through his nose and glared at me.

"You'll fit." He growled. Mira giggled softly and slipped her hand into his. It was common for dragon partners to go beyond a mere "work" relationship, and most successful partnerships became romantically involved. Mira and Laxus were obviously an item.

"Thanks, I guess." I didn't know what to say. His glare darkened, if that was possible. Mira's eyes lit up with excitement.

"Really? That's wonderful! You know, I'm in charge of first tours, and I can think of several dragons you'd go well with…" Mira trailed off in a happy and very ominous daze. Laxus' eyes did a splendid three sixty and I shuddered involuntarily. Levy gulped.

"Ah, Mira, that sounds… wonderful, but Lu has to go see Master first." Levy struggled to find a word to fit Mira's fantasies that wouldn't result in our untimely deaths. Mira nodded and Levy took the opening to pull me into the building, leaving Laxus to try and ground Mira once again. I let my friend pull me through a maze of hallways until we reached a plain door with a nameplate reading, "Headmaster." Levy knocked four times and waited for a response.

"Come in." A tired voice rang out, muffled by the wood. Levy pushed the door open and we entered the office, a small room with a single desk. Cabinets stuffed to the point of exploding with paper lined the walls. A brown leather chair held one of the smallest people I had ever seen. The headmaster would have barely reached up to my knees if he was standing. White hair was hidden by a blue and orange joker's hat. Weathered fingers were playing with a thick white moustache. His suit matched his hat in a glaring combination of colors. The stacks of papers on his desk dwarfed him, as did the woman glaring at us from a corner chair. Her pink hair, edged with yellow, was pulled back in a clean hairdo. A red cape with a spiked collar draped over her shoulders and she had paused in reading a medical book whose title I could barely understand. Brown eyes shot me a scalding look and I had a strong desire to get the hell out of there.

"Hi, Master, Porlyusica." Levy greeted, inclining her head in a small show of respect to the woman. In response, she let out an annoyed sniff and resumed her reading. After a few seconds, her eyes jumped to me and back to the book.

"Welcome back, Levy. I trust you had a good summer?" The Master lifted kind brown eyes to meet Levy's face. "And you brought a friend?"

"Summer was great. This is Lucy, and she wants to sign up." Levy gave an easy smile, which the man returned. He jumped onto the desk and extended his hand for me to take. The woman grimaced at his action.

"Well, Lucy, I'm very proud to welcome you to the Magnolia School for Dragontaming, locally known as Fairy High." He spoke with genuine warmth. I accepted his handshake, which was unexpectedly firm. "Can I assume that Levy has explained how our programs work?"

"She has, sir." I replied. He chuckled at my formality.

"Call me Master or Gramps. Everyone here does." He wasn't joking. At least, I didn't think he was. "Well, Lucy, if you know about the two programs, which one would you like to take?"

"Dragontaming." I shot the answer out with no hesitation. He raised an eyebrow at the woman.

"What do you say, Porlyusica?" His question was directed at the woman, who graced me with a cold stare and a curt nod.

"Gajeel and Laxus both said she had potential." Levy put in. Master's second eyebrow floated up.

"Laxus?" He checked. Levy nodded vigorously and he grinned. "You must have quite a bit of potential for my grandson to admit that you have any at all."

"How is he your grandson and a dragon at the same time?"

"His mother was a dragon." Master replied simply. I ohed in understanding. "In any case, there's still paperwork you to fill out. Levy, if you could pull out the forms?" Levy moved to a cabinet and thumbed through the papers. "Today, ask Mira to help you find Erza, who will then get you an apartment figured out. I would be careful with housing choices, as after your first successful mission you will be expected to pay rent each month. Three consecutive failures to pay on time will result in you having to leave the dragontaming program, and three more will end in expulsion."

"Got it. Here, Lu." Levy handed me three sheets of paper. Master made space on his overcrowded desk for me to write and I jotted down my information, pausing when I came to family contacts.

"Master, can I leave these blank?" I asked, pointing to the boxes. He glanced at my objects of interest and nodded. I finished the first form and signed the other two. Levy stapled them together and slid them into an empty file marked LUCY H.. "All set? Wonderful." Master handed me a map of the grounds and a thick handbook. "Those are all of our rules. If you decide to make an attempt at passing without a single mark on your record-"

"Which is impossible, I assure you." The woman cut in with a snort. Master sighed.

"Then you can scan through it. Tomorrow, Mira and I will take you on a tour of the dragons' forest to see if you find a partner. Unless you have any more questions, I'll see you then."

I thanked him and followed Levy back out of the building. Mira was still there, but Laxus was a golden dot in the sky. Mira's eyes were busy tracking him until we were within earshot.

"How'd it go?" She asked, bright blue eyes sparkling with excitement.

"I'm in!" I told her, my voice matching the excitement in her gaze.

"Do you know where Erza is?" Levy asked. Laxus let out a powerful roar and Mira raised two fingers in the air.

"Yeah, she should be with Cana. Sorry, but I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow!" Mira ran off with a wave, headed to where Laxus had aimed his landing. Levy and I waved in response and trooped through the gates. A wide road led into the woods.

"Who's Cana?" I asked as we walked towards the tree line. Levy giggled.

"She's one of the untame dragons, and she's always in or near the bar. Her love of booze lets her stay in her human form for extended periods of time, although no one's sure of how it works." She explained. Her pace sped up to a light jog.

"Second question before we take to the sprint you are inevitably going for. Why did Laxus have to go through the gate? Couldn't he just fly over the borders?" Right as I finished my question, a furious roar echoed through the air. Levy grimaced.

"Some dragons are dangerous, for us and for the people in the town. As dragontaming partners, we can hold our ground against them, but regular people wouldn't stand a chance. Master put the borders up to keep rogue dragons in and wandering people out." Levy increased her speed to a sprint, just as I'd predicted.

"Got it." I kept my reply short and ran alongside her. "How many are rogue?"

"I don't know, but the last one to be put down as dangerous was a young fire dragon, probably around our age in dragon years. Cana said he's pretty powerful." Levy kept running, completely missing my horrified expression.

"Put down? Like, killed?" I choked out.

"What? No! I meant put down _in the books_ as dangerous. Geez, Lu!" She puffed. I sighed in relief. The road curved sharply and vanished behind a clump of trees. We rounded the bend at a sprint, Levy giving me no warning for what was hidden behind the curve. A gentle slope led into a massive valley. A town had spread out in the center, framed by the hills and the forest. From my position, I could make out a large market spilling out of the streets near the edge of the town, and several large buildings that were most likely the schools. More smaller buildings in between the school and market stood in straight lines, framing a wide road that ran down the center of town. A gray streak of a river cut through the main road, occasionally spanned by bridges. I could see several large shapes walking, flying, and fighting: dragons. They really were a part of life here.

"Woah…" I didn't have a word in my vocabulary to describe what I was seeing. Levy giggled at my expression.

"I know, right? It's amazing!" She pointed at the town. "See that pinkish house on the main road? That's my apartment!" I scanned the street and quickly found the building. A smile slid onto my face.

"I really want to be your neighbor." It came out as more of a sigh. Levy picked up the run again and I followed, struggling to not leave her in the dust. I wanted nothing more than to explore every single inch of the town below. Half an hour of running took us to the edges of the town, and Levy wasted no time in pulling me through the streets. She led the way to a large building, its pale walls framed with wooden beams. A golden dome topped the structure and a large sign read, "Fairy Tail". Levy pushed through the doors and made a beeline for a pretty brunette chugging from a barrel, her back pressed against the bar counter. A large banner with the Fairy High emblem covered the wall behind her, and the other side of the room was occupied by a stage. Tables and benches crowded with people took up the rest of the space.

"Cana!" Levy shouted. The brunette raised an eyebrow in our direction, a grin splitting her face as she waved us over.

"Heya, Levy! Who's the new girl?" The brunette, apparently known as Cana, looked me over.

"Lucy, this is Cana. Cana, this is Lucy." Levy used her hands for clarification. I smiled and Cana smirked.

"Heh. You've got potential, blondie." Cana resumed drinking. I blinked twice and fought the urge to roll my eyes.

"Levy?" A new voice rang out and I made a point to turn around slowly. I'd had enough neck-cracking in the past few days to last me a lifetime. I was greeted by a wave of scarlet hair and widened brown eyes.

"Erza!" Levy exclaimed. The scarlet-haired girl gave Levy a crushing hug, slamming the blunette's head against her chest plate. Levy oofed and tried to get out of the embrace with her skull intact.

"It's been so long, Levy!" The scarlet-haired girl released my friend in a mostly alive state before turning to me. "Lucy, yes?"

"Y-yeah." I felt a shiver run down my spine at her calculating gaze.

Her eyes seemed to relax and I could breathe without fearing for my life again. "It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Erza."

"Nice to meet you, Erza." I decided to offer my hand, and to my great relief she shook it without damaging my fingers.

"Erza, can Lu move into the room next to mine?" Levy went straight to the point, catching me off guard. If Erza had to take a moment to jump from topic to topic, she didn't show it.

"Of course. Meredy graduated last year, so the room should be up and ready. Check with the landlady." Erza picked up a slice of strawberry cake from the counter. Levy nodded and pulled me away from the bar. I was being pulled around a lot lately, and the cult had yet to make an appearance. Irritation, relief, and dread fought a three-way battle in my head, giving me a dull headache. I promised myself a hot bath after the entire housing business got settled and the headache went away.

We found the landlady quickly. She was a short woman with an attitude that dwarfed her size. It took us exactly six sharp exchanges to find out that the apartment was unoccupied, I could stay, and my future home already had its basic furnishings. We scrambled away from the landlady at record speed and barged into my new apartment. I took the lead this time, exploring every inch of the place. If only conquering the town would be as easy. I discovered a relatively modern kitchen, a spacious bedroom that also served as the living room and was equipped with a desk, couches, and a cozy bed, and a very temping bathroom. Levy, clearly seeing through the glances I was sneaking at the bathroom door, left with a giggle and a promise to wake me up nice and early the next day. I grumbled a bit and practically dived into the bath. My earlier promise was more than fulfilled - the bath was absolute heaven.


End file.
